Abstract
This paper provides a conceptual framework for viewing social well-being as composed of two elements: social adjustment and social support. Social adjustment is a combination of satisfaction with relationships, performance in social roles and adjustment to one's environment. Social support is composed of the number of contacts in one's social network and satisfaction with those contacts. Through the pioneering work of McDowell and Newell, comparative ratings of measures of social adjustment and social support are available. It appears that Weissman's Social Adjustment Scale and Sarason's Social Support Scale are currently the best measures in terms of validity and reliability. But, they are merely starting points for future measurement of these concepts.
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Prepared for delivery at the American Public Health Association meeting in Atlanta, Georgia November 1991.
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Larson, J.S. The measurement of social well-being. Soc Indic Res 28, 285–296 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079022